Broken Promises
by Chemically Romantic
Summary: Howl and Sophie have been living together for a few months, and Sophie can't be happier. Until a promise is broken, and Howl reverts back to his old selfish self. Sophie locks herself in Howl's room, refusing to come out, forcing Howl to win her back.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Howl's Moving Castle, or any other Studio Gibli films. If I did, they'd be longer and have sequels that only I could see.**

**A/N: My first HMC fic. It's based on the movie that I've seen 32 times. I'm guessing that this is going to be a shorter story as I haven't typed it yet, but it only took up 5 and a quarter pages of notebook paper. I hope you enjoy it as it took me a while to write. Read and review. It's not that **

"**Hate's A Strong Word"**

_Thud! _Sophie Hatter awoke with a start, her breathing shallow, as the familiar sound of Howl's door closing rattled her dreams. She looked from Calcifer to the stairs, her heart racing. She removed a piece of starlight hair from her face as she quickly stood up. A smile parted her lips as she remembered how slow she had to move when she was old. The curse had been broken for a few months, now; yet, her life with Howl had remained the same. She was his cleaning lady, and nothing more, no matter how hard she wanted it.

She swiftly grabbed a candle, lighting its wick with ease. The smile left her lips as she descended up the stairs, and down the hallway, stopping at Howl's bedroom door. Too afraid to knock, instead, she quietly spoke his name, careful not to wake Markl. "Howl?"

The door creaked open, revealing a rush of scents that made her head spin. She wearily stepped into his room, her eyes wandering over the lavish assortments of knick-knacks that adorned his walls. She found herself staring at one in particular. His blue pendant hung alone on the wall behind his bed. Her fingers grasped the matching one that hung around her neck. A flood of emotions knocked her sideways.

-Flashback-

_"I want you to have this, Sophie." Howl draped the magnificent blue pendant around her neck, a small smile etched into his face. She rolled the small blue gem over in her hands, her eyes welling with tears._

_"It matches yours." She looked up, just now realizing this. He nodded, pulling out his own._

_"It bonds us. As long as I love you, I'll never take it off." She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. _

_"I love you, Howl."_

_"I love you, Sophie."_

-End Flashback-

She hastily stuffed the pendant back into her shirt, turning to leave. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I'll go, now." Her voice was barely above a whisper as she tried to cover up the hurt that shone through. She bit her lip, taking a step out of the room when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It spun her around so that she was looking up at him.

"Why? Are afraid of me or something?" Howl's brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to decipher Sophie/s intentions. He watched as she walked past him, taking a seat on his bed. He leaned against the wall, a smirk firmly planted on his face.

"Of course not. I just assumed you had one of your many girlfriends over and…" Her voice was more confident, but it remained soft; like a mouse. Howl let out an exasperated sigh. He couldn't hide his disappointment in her distrust for him. Of course he didn't have any other girlfriends; he loved Sophie more than anything. His eyes wandered to the blue pendant hanging from his wall. He mentally kicked himself as he followed her. He hung his head, taking a seat on the bed beside her.

"What makes you think I have any other girlfriends?" He cocked his brow, his blue eyes filling with concern. Sophie looked up at him, her gaze locked onto his. She quickly turned away, unable to face the fact that he didn't love her anymore.

"Come on, Howl! We both now know that one woman can't hold you down." _One of made the mistake of trying to rectify that. Look where it got me. Almost in tears in his room, alone. _A smile gradually took the place of concern on Howl's face as he ran his finger over her hand.

"I believe that one woman has, Sophie." She quickly turned her head so that she was looking at him again. The pain of months etched into the frown on her face. A sigh escaped her lips as she moved her hands away from his touch.

"Yes, Howl. We, apparently, had a fling. I helped you break your curse, and you helped me break mine. Case closed." She looked down, utterly disgusted and upset about this whole situation. They had lived like lovers for the first month, and Sophie couldn't have been happier. Her happiness soon turned to regret as the second month came. Howl began to ignore her, until he never spoke to her except when he was giving orders. She was convinced that the only reason why he kept her around was to run the flower shop, and to clean.

Howl sighed again, frustrated at how stubborn Sophie was. "It wasn't a fling, dear. My curse had to be broken by my true love, as did yours." He looked down at her, meeting her gaze. She turned away, still not convinced.

"Evidently, your love for me has run out, Howl. You ignore me. You hardly acknowledge my existence." She was very close to shouting now, her voice steadily rising. She quickly stood up, moving to the door. "Do you know what the worst part of the whole thing is, Howl? It's that I still love you." A single tear cascaded down her cheek as she slammed the door so that Markl wouldn't hear them. She took her seat on the bed, her tears flowing harder now. "I love you, Howl." Her voice was back down to its original whisper, now.

This news quickly silenced the vain wizard. He looked away from the girl, not knowing what to say. He was too wimpy to tell her how he loved her too, so he remained in his position. Sophie held the silence for several minutes, disappointment washing over her. She finally stood up, heading for the door. "I understand." She quietly stepped out the door, closing it behind her. She would leave tomorrow. She wouldn't have to be near him anymore. She'd leave behind all that she loved and return to the Wastes.

Howl furiously punched at his pillow, upset at himself for being so cowardly. He stopped, his gaze traveling up to the pendant on his wall. _How could he have forgotten the promise he had made to her? Why couldn't he just tell her loved her, now? _He had broken his promise, but he still loved her. And now, she was probably going to leave. He knew Sophie couldn't stand to be in the same house with him, anymore. The thought of Sophie leaving was enough. The wizard bounded out of his room, intent upon telling her.

Sophie was about to step on the first stair when a hand latched on to her arm. She knew who it was. She didn't need to turn around, but she did anyway. She looked past him, not wanting to face him directly, yet.

Howl smiled down at her. "I believe you left before I had a chance to speak. I love you, Sophie. More than anything. I love you."

She looked up at him, her mouth dropping. She smiled, wrapping him into a hug. "Oh really, Howl?" She quickly let him go, remembering his broken promise. She swiftly walked past him, heading for his bedroom. Her eyes narrowed as she found the wizard following her. She spun around, her face enraged. "You love me, huh? You ignore me, you order me around, and you broke your promise. That promise was the only thing keeping me attached to you, Howl. And you broke it. You didn't eat my heart Howl, you didn't capture it either. You tore it out. You stepped on it, and you hurt it. I hate you Howl Jenkins."

She slammed his bedroom door on his face, leaving him with his mouth open, alone. She'd stay for Markl, and for Calcifer, but not for him. Somehow, she still had trouble disguising the glimmer of hope that stuck in her head; hope that she and Howl would return to each other's arms.

**A/N: Like it? If I get enough hits/reviews, I'll add the second chapter sooner. :P. I'm currently looking for a beta. PM me if you're interested.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. I've had this written for a while, but I was too lazy to type it. I personally don't like this chapter, but, it's what I had written. The next one will be better. I promise.**

**Disclaimer: sigh I don't own the movie, nor do I own the books. (Books. Castle In The Air was a disappointment. Big time. I wanted something that revolved around Howl and Sophie, not some carpet seller.)**

"…**An Omelet?"**

How slumped against the closed door, the color receding from his bony face. His mouth open, he replayed the scene in his head. "She hates me? Is it even possible for her to hate me?" He shook his head, amazed by the whole aspect of being hated. He cursed loudly, in Welsh, pushing himself up from the dusty floor. He pondered what to do in a moment like this, concluding that trying to reason with her was the best way to go. This in mind, he cleared his throat, placing his cheek against the door. "Sophie?"

- - -

The sounds of her muffled sobs couldn't drown out the voice at the door, no matter how hard she cried. She pushed herself up, waiting for the butterflies to come as they had before. She quickly found that the soft voice that had once made her insides turn now revolted her. She wiped away her tears, feeling a deal more confident now that she knew he couldn't charm her right now. She quickly made a list of Howl's faults, planning to use them to her advantage. "Howl. Do us both a favor and go away. I don't care about your apologies. I sure as hell don't care about you right now, and I'm sick of being a quiet little mouse who never complains," she raised her hand to her mouth in surprise. Surprised at how easily the words had come. Her first instinct was to apologize, but quickly stopped herself. She was still getting used to the idea of hurting Howl.

A groan of despair brought her out of her shock. She jumped as she heard the slam of Howl's hand hitting the door.

"It's my room! I have every right to be in there, Sophie!" Howl was furious. He had tried being nice, but she had crushed his nice-spirit. He raised his hand to hit the door again, but stopped himself in mid-swing. He couldn't do this to her. His mood, as well as his expression, softened. He did, after all, loved her. He truly, dearly loved Sophie. Of course, hitting the door wasn't going to change how she felt about him, but something would. His thoughts were soon interrupted Sophie's infuriated shout.

"I don't CARE! I'm not coming out. You did this to yourself, Jenkins," she waited for a response from Howl, but only heard his footsteps leaving the door. Relieved, she looked around the room for a decent place to sleep. She sighed, finding that the only place was Howl's bed.

Reluctantly, she slipped under the heave blankets, placing her head down on the pillow. She inhaled deeply, letting the scents of Howl's hair products lull her to sleep, as a lullaby did when she was so much younger.

- - -

Howl slowly climbed down the stairs, his shoulders slumped in depression. He placed himself on the chair in front of the fire, a large sigh protruding from his open mouth. A slap of realization had hit him. Sophie meant it when she had told him that 'a heart's a heave burden'. He was feeling the whole impact of a broken heart now, and he couldn't say he enjoyed the feeling. His brooding was interrupted by a voice. Calcifer's voice to be exact.

"Trouble in paradise?" The fire demon held a sliver of concern in his voice as he spoke.

Howl nodded his head, still in disbelief. "Sophie said she hated me, Calcifer. I think she meant it, too. She's refusing to leave my room," his head snapped up, realizing how odd the whole situation sounded.

"I knew it! I knew your selfish actions would come back to haunt you! You should have treated her better, Howl. It's your fault."

"I wasn't selfish!" Howl hastily stood up, offended by the demon's words. "If you _must _know, I was scared. She's incredible. Perfect, even. Even _I_ can't compare to her. I hate this God forsaken heart," he began to pace, feeling more and more anxious by the minute. He was afraid of losing her. When he didn't have his heart, he never would have worried about losing a girl, let alone Sophie. But, with his new heart had come new feelings, one of them being insecurity.

The fire demon looked amazed by this, but lumbered talking anyway. "If you love her so much-"

"I do!"

"Don't interrupt! If you love her so much. Then prove it. Make her something, without magic. Girls go for that handmade quality." Howl was intrigued by this prospect. He had never made anything without magic except food.

Food! He'd make her breakfast! What, though?" He turned to Calcifer, a large grin on his face. "Calcifer, tell me the first food that comes into your small mind."

"An omelet," the demon looked confused by this, and a little angry at the small mind comment, but, waved it off impatiently.

"Perfect! An omelet! I shall make Sophie an omelet!" Howl looked down at Calcifer, choking back a laugh, hurriedly nodded his approval.

_This should be amusing. _"Sure, Howl! An omelet is perfect! Sophie'll love it!" He waited until the wizard had turned his back to let out his laughter.

- - -

"It doesn't look like an omelet, does it?" Calcifer has resisted another wave of laughter as Howl proudly held up the pile of eggs. The wizard looked quite taken back by this comment as it had taken him until mid-morning to construct his forgiveness omelet.

"I've even written her note to give to her as well."

"Read it, then," Calcifer challenged, folding his yellow arms indignantly. Howl cleared his throat as he unfolded the piece of paper.

"Sophie, I'm sorry. Love, Howl." The wizard beamed at Calcifer as he refolded his note. The demon simply nodded his mock-approval again, holding back more laughter.

"Perfect. Now, how do you plan on getting it to her? It sounds as if she won't open the door to you." Howl was about to answer when they heard the familiar footsteps of Markl padding down the stairs. The wizard smiled as a head poked around the corner, followed by the rest of the eight year old's body.

"Markl. Take these to Sophie in my room at once," Howl thrust the plate and note into the boy's hands, who early nodded, heading back upstairs. The wizard shot a confident smirk in Calcifer's direction as he sat down, proud of his work.

- - -

Markl raced down the long hallway, stopping at Howl's door. He knocked, waiting for a response. It came in the form of a muffled. "Who is it?" He smiled at Sophie's sleepy state.

"It's Markl. I have your…breakfast," he watched as the door opened, revealing a rather dishelmed Sophie. She quickly relived Markl of the plate and not, thanking him quietly.

He shouted a happy "You're welcome!" as he raced down the stairs, prodding Howl for his breakfast now.

- - -

Sophie shut the door, keeping her eyes on the yellow mass on her plate. She recognized it at once as Howl's omelet. She hastily tore open the note that accompanied it, enraged and disappointed by its contents. Her lips parted in an infuriated yell. "Howl, you insensitive clod! You break my heart and the best you can do is an ugly, horribly made _OMELET_?"

- - -

Howl's mouth dropped upon hearing Sophie's words. "But…I-I…But Calcifer…_GAH_!" He threw his arms in the air, ignoring Calcifer's gasps of laughter. He shook his head, amazed. "I thought it was perfect!"

The demon laughed harder, finding Howl's suffering quite amusing. Howl, apparently, did not. He gave the demon such a look of disgust, it would have given Suliman a run for her money. He hung his head, confused and disappointed.

- - -

Being hungry, Sophie reluctantly ate the horrid omelet, tasting nothing but her rage in every bite. She chuckled softly. How could she have expected more from Howl? How could she thought he' provide a better apology? Was she that stupid? One thing's for sure, she was going to have a hard time taking Howl back after this? Her chest suddenly felt that weight of Howl's pendant pulling at her neck. Somehow, she couldn't bring herself to take it off, and she hated herself (not to mention Howl) for it.

**A/N: I know, I know. Horrid. Don't hurt me. Please. **


End file.
